PFFC - March 2009 - (Page 14) PROCESS MANAGEMENT How To Use Color Books antone Color Systems are the most popular means of color communication in use today. Pantone tools facilitate color management during concept, design, and manufacturing phases and include the following: P By David Argent Contributing Editor Components of Pantone’s Goe System for color inspiration and specification. mized by all participants in the workflow having fan decks and chips from the same print run. u Version Control | Over the years, to mirror industry usage and availability, Pantone has changed substrates. Changes in color, gloss, brightness, opacity, and smoothness all affect the u Analog | Color Guides in fan-deck format and appearance of an applied color, yet another reachips books; son to ensure use of the same edition by all. u Digital | Software interface with software and u Substrate | Matching a color on film or foil becolor output device manufacturers such as comes subjective. The opacity of the coated paper Adobe, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Quark, and Miused by Pantone is 96–98. White ink opacity in crosoft to ensure the best possible representation flexo and gravure print is only 50–55. This is an of Pantone colors. important point to take into consideration when specifying a Pantone color. This column addresses use of the analog tools, as u Color Space | Inks used to produce the guides this is the typical starting point. Possible concerns are based on specific offset ink pigments needed should be noted at the outset of color specification. to ensure lithographic print properties on the The most widely used fan deck is the Pantone press. There are 13 basic single pigment colors Formula Guide. More than 1,000 solid colors are along with black and transparent white. Some featured on coated, uncoated, and matte of these pigments do not function in liquid paper stock. Ink mixing formulas for inks, and alternate, more suitable pigments are lithographic printing are provided for used. This in turn leads to difference in color each color. Additional publications space—not necessarily more restricted, just difwithin the Pantone Matching System ferent. Also, there may be end-user specifications address the popular desire for metalon regulatory restrictions for heavy metals, such lic colors, the niche requirements for as copper and barium, and requirements for light pastels, and the need to visualize solid fastness and chemical resistance, all of which call Pantone colors in CMYK and as tints. for different pigments and percentages. Pantone books provide six peru Time Sensitivity | Physical color guides degrade forated tear-out chips for each with time due to light exposure, chemical reacsolid color, making it easy to tion, and yellowing paper. Exposing them to a select, specify, and commuviewing light only when needed can reduce color nicate color. Individual rechanges. Some colors will be expected to fade placement pages are available. because they employ everyday printing ink grade The next generation of solid color specifipigments. Procedures should be in place to recation was introduced by Pantone in 2007. Called place color guides on a regular basis. Pantone Goe, it features 2,058 solid colors and ad- u The Basic Principle | Using Pantone color guides dresses the needs of the graphics industry today as as a starting point, specific substrate and print prowell as into the future. cess color standards can be produced. These would Pantone produces its books on offset presses using be both physical and digital standards. The scenario commercial, oil-base quickset inks. Here are some to avoid is when the guide or chip is used at press variables to consider when using the books. side for initial color approval. Too much is left to interpretation, which should have been u Print Process | The guides and eliminated by the brand owner much books are produced on an offset further back in the workflow. press, so there will be inherent appearance differences when comPantone Color Systems are very pared to flexo and gravure print. useful tools in color management INK u Process Variation | The publicaand communication. However, they ROOM tions are subject to some normal should be used only as a guide and AUDITS variation, although small, even within with knowledge of the limitations a specific run. This variation is minigiven in this column. COMING NEXT MONTH Process improvement expert David Argent has 30+ years of experience in process analysis with particular emphasis on ink and coating design and performance. Contact him at 314-409-4304; djvargent@sbcglobal.net. 14 | MARCH 2009 WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM http://WWW.PFFC-ONLINE.COM
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